Hi, lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Joanne
Guidoccio and her new book, “No More Secrets”! For other stops on her Goddess Fish
Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in
this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of
this post to enter to win a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Joanne
and to increase your chances of winning!
Thanks for stopping by! Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous
giveaway!
No More Secrets
by Joanne
Guidoccio
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Women's Fiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Angelica
Delfino takes a special interest in the lives of her three nieces, whom she
affectionately calls the daughters of her heart. Sensing that each woman is
harboring a troubling, possibly even toxic secret, Angelica decides to share
her secrets—secrets she had planned to take to the grave. Spellbound, the
nieces listen as Angelica travels back six decades to reveal an incredulous
tale of forbidden love, tragic loss, and reinvention. It is the classic
immigrant story upended: an Italian widow’s transformative journey amid the
most unlikely of circumstances.
Inspired by
Angelica’s example, the younger women share their “First World” problems and,
in the process, set themselves free.
But
one heartbreaking secret remains untold...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT TWO:
“Go,”
Kelly said. “Your aunt is dying, and this could be your last opportunity to
spend some quality time together.”
“Her
oncologist shared good news last week,” Nora said. “Her blood counts have
improved, and the cancer hadn’t spread since her last visit. He mumbled
something about a miracle.”
“A
miracle?” Kelly’s eyes widened. “Has your aunt been seeing a healer?”
“You
could say that,” Nora said as her eyes twinkled. “Right after Christmas, she
hired a companion who’s been able to transform her life. I don’t know her real
name. My mother calls her Bellastrega—beautiful witch.” All recent
conversations with Ma had focused on Bellastrega. Relieved not to have to share
her own problems, Nora had encouraged her mother to talk about the beautiful
witch who had turned all their lives upside down. Nora enjoyed the weekly
updates that sounded like soap operas.
“Is
she a beautiful witch?”
Nora
shrugged. “My mother mentioned her dyed-blonde hair, too-skinny body, and
watery eyes. She’s put Zia on a vegan diet and an exercise regimen. At
Christmas, Zia needed a walker to get around, but now she’s walking freely. My
mother and aunt are convinced that Bellastrega is a witch who’ll end up robbing
Angelica and leaving.” Nora had tried to point out that if Bellastrega’s
intention was to steal, it would make more sense to let Angelica get weaker.
“She
sounds intriguing,” Kelly said. “I’d go just to meet this woman.”
“Hmm.
I guess.” Nora was curious and wouldn’t mind sitting and chatting with the
woman about wellness. But from Zia Angelica’s email, it sounded like
Bellastrega would leave soon after everyone arrived.
“Think
of it as an adventure. How many beautiful witches have you met in this
lifetime?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST POST:
On
Dealing with Rejection:
While 31
years of teaching adolescents thickened my skin, I faced different challenges
when I embarked on a writing career. I had to learn how to deal with rejection
letters from agents and publishers, critiques from editors, and
less-than-favorable reader reviews. Most important of all, I had to acquire
that coveted rhino skin.
Here
are seven strategies in my writer’s toolbox:
1.) Identify and
acknowledge the disappointment, anger, doubt, and/or frustration you may be
feeling.
It is perfectly normal to feel down when you receive the first, second, or nth
rejection letter for that manuscript you spent months (perhaps even years)
crafting. But do not dwell on those negative feelings for more than a day or
two.
2.) Replace the negative
self-talk with positive and affirming statements. Susan
Sarandon, one of Hollywood’s most talented leading ladies, celebrates each
rejection by going out to dinner with family and friends. In leaner days, she
treated herself to an avocado. Susan’s favorite affirmation: “This means I’m
now available for something else.”
3.) Destroy the evidence.
I’m amazed by authors who brag about having enough rejection letters to paper
the walls of their homes. While it is essential to keep accurate records,
it’s not necessary to keep those negative reminders for future reference. After
reading a rejection letter, I update the information on a spreadsheet and
delete the file.
4.) Keep the positive
rejections.
I didn’t think this was possible until I received the following e-mail from a
literary agent in Boston: “Thank you so much for sending this to me. It sounded
so wonderful that I put my afternoon aside to look at it right away. There’s a
lot to like in here; you have a fresh, quirky voice that I enjoyed. However, I
think that this may be a bit light for my personal taste. And so, I am going to
step aside. You will very easily find representation for this work. Best of
luck! And again, thank you so much for sharing your work with me!” I celebrated
over dinner with friends.
5.) Collect comeback
stories.
Whenever I attend readings, I pay special attention to the author’s back story.
I like hearing about the challenges encountered along the way. Two of my
favorites: When New York Times bestselling author, Louise Penny, couldn’t find
a Canadian or American agent, she crossed the pond and approached a British
agent. After Lisa Genova received “tons of rejections” for Still Alice,
she decided to self-publish and sell her book out of the trunk of her car. A
glowing review in the Boston Sunday Globe caught the attention of Simon
and Schuster Publishing. Still Alice eventually sold more than 2 million
copies and was translated into 37 languages.
6.) Read bad reviews. If I have
enjoyed reading a book, I look up the one-star reviews on Amazon. While shaking
my head at the nitpicking and negative comments, I realize that no author is
immune from criticism. Not even authors of best-selling novels can please
everyone.
7.) Take action…any kind of
action.
After writing 60K (or more) words and editing multiple drafts of a manuscript,
the thought of starting over can be daunting. And what if there is no spark of
inspiration for another novel? In that case, I work on shorter pieces like
articles, essays, book reviews, and blog posts. Entering contests and taking
online writing courses keep my skills sharp.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR BIO:
In 2008, Joanne
Guidoccio took
advantage of early retirement and launched a second act as a writer. Her
articles and book reviews have been published in newspapers, magazines, and
online. When she tried her hand at fiction, she made reinvention a recurring
theme in her novels and short stories. A member of Crime Writers of Canada,
Sisters in Crime, and Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Joanne writes
paranormal romances, cozy mysteries, and inspirational literature from her home
base of Guelph, Ontario.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CONNECT WITH JOANNE:
Website:
https://joanneguidoccio.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/authorjoanneguidoccio
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/joanneguidoccio
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.ca/jguidoccio
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanneguidoccio
Goodreads
Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7277706.Joanne_Guidoccio
Goodreads
Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54595345-no-more-secrets
Amazon
Author Page:
https://amzn.to/34aPSg5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AMAZON BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon
US Kindle eBook:
https://amzn.to/2IJaWSN
Amazon
CA Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.ca/No-More-Secrets-Joanne-Guidoccio-ebook/dp/B08CVTYWWX
Amazon
UK Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-More-Secrets-Joanne-Guidoccio-ebook/dp/B08CVTYWWX
Amazon
AU Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.com.au/No-More-Secrets-Joanne-Guidoccio-ebook/dp/B08CVTYWWX
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFO:
Joanne will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC
to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this
blog. This does not cost you anything,
it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
